ISC Daily News Summary

One in ten affluent families has moved their child to a cheaper school as a result of the government’s VAT on fees policy, according to a survey by wealth management firm Saltus. The research found that one in 20 families had switched to a state school, while one in 50 had chosen to home-school, citing rising costs. Saltus surveyed 1,300 high-net-worth parents with children in fee-paying schools and investable assets of at least £250,000. By Nicola Woolcock, The Times. 

Some trainee teachers are missing out on vital practical strategies for supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), Ofsted has said. In a report published today, the inspectorate warns that while coverage of SEND in training programmes is generally strong, there are gaps in depth and mentor knowledge, meaning some trainees are not as well prepared as others. It comes as mainstream schools are expected to be asked to educate more pupils with SEND as a result of ministers' future reforms. By Jabed Ahmed, Tes. 

One in 10 young carers has missed a test or exam due to their caring responsibilities, according to new polling by charity Carers Trust, conducted by Opinium. The findings have prompted the charity to call for a dedicated staff member in every school, college and university to proactively identify young carers and ensure they receive the right support. Speaking to The Independent, Carers Trust’s chief executive, Kirsty McHugh, urged ministers to ensure "every school and college had a young carer lead trained to identify and support young carers". By Aine Fox, The Independent. 

Mobile phones should be banned in school classrooms, Jenny Gilruth, the education secretary, said as Scottish Labour used its debating time in Holyrood yesterday to push for a national ban on mobiles in school classrooms. Ms Gilruth said mobile phones "can be a distraction to learning and teaching", but stressed it is local authorities who are responsible for running schools, "not the Scottish Government". By Alistair Grant, The Scotsman. 

Texting parents the number of days their child has missed school can slightly improve attendance, a trial by the Behavioural Insights Team has found. Parents said messages showing days missed were clearer and more meaningful than those showing percentages. The trial, involving over 100 secondary schools in England, sent texts to around 36,000 parents, such as: "[Name] missed five days of school last term", instead of the usual percentage-based absence updates. This approach was linked to 15 extra days of attendance per 100 pupils over five half terms, or 0.21 fewer missed days per pupil. By Jasmine Norden, The Independent.